A review by emmacatereads
In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip
3.0
McKillip is, as always, an absolutely enchanting writer, this time folding Russian legends of Baba Yaga and the Firebird into her own meditations on agency and grief. My favorite parts of this story were actually the quiet goings-on of the wizard Unciel and his scribe Euan in the wizard's little garden house in Dacia: I love cozy fantasy, and as dire as the wizard's health was Euan proved a kind and attentive caretaker, and I found myself transfixed by scenes as small as him making soup, or contemplating the hazy dreams of the wizard's one-eyed cat.
This story has some of the most human characters I've encountered in McKillip's canon, authentic for their wickedness and grief as much as their devotion. Our main characters are a stricken prince struggling with suicidal thoughts in the wake of his wife and child's death, a headstrong princess being forced into a loveless marriage for the sake of her kingdom, an ailing, elderly wizard and his novice scribe, and an ambitious sorcerer in search of power. Even the side characters contain multitudes: I flinched in fear from Ronan's abusive father, and my heart went out to his sorrowful queen. Any story with an appearance by Baba Yaga is bound to be entertaining: McKillip's take on her may not be my favorite but her bottle green glasses and beloved chickens definitely added some levity to a surprisingly heavy tale.
The plot was all over the place, which is really what kept this from being a four star read. There's a lot of adventuring out in the woods to find stolen hearts, but nothing is ever really clearly laid out and made me feel like I was reading in circles as characters followed around and around in each others wakes like clockwork figurines charting a tired path. The creature that caused Unciel's illness is never really well-defined beyond being a vague, menacing presence, nor is what exactly happened to put him in such a state. Furthermore, the wizard Gyre had wildly confusing motivations and I could never really put my finger on which version of him was authentic. Overall, more style over concrete substance, but it is clear that McKillip is in a class of fantasy writing all her own.
This story has some of the most human characters I've encountered in McKillip's canon, authentic for their wickedness and grief as much as their devotion. Our main characters are a stricken prince struggling with suicidal thoughts in the wake of his wife and child's death, a headstrong princess being forced into a loveless marriage for the sake of her kingdom, an ailing, elderly wizard and his novice scribe, and an ambitious sorcerer in search of power. Even the side characters contain multitudes: I flinched in fear from Ronan's abusive father, and my heart went out to his sorrowful queen. Any story with an appearance by Baba Yaga is bound to be entertaining: McKillip's take on her may not be my favorite but her bottle green glasses and beloved chickens definitely added some levity to a surprisingly heavy tale.
The plot was all over the place, which is really what kept this from being a four star read. There's a lot of adventuring out in the woods to find stolen hearts, but nothing is ever really clearly laid out and made me feel like I was reading in circles as characters followed around and around in each others wakes like clockwork figurines charting a tired path. The creature that caused Unciel's illness is never really well-defined beyond being a vague, menacing presence, nor is what exactly happened to put him in such a state. Furthermore, the wizard Gyre had wildly confusing motivations and I could never really put my finger on which version of him was authentic. Overall, more style over concrete substance, but it is clear that McKillip is in a class of fantasy writing all her own.